Harry Potter and Along Came a Shadow
by ShadowOfTheReap
Summary: I'm still writing this story I just don't have the luxury of consistent uploads, please forgive lapses of inactivity.  Read this story if you like: Fullmetal Alchemist, Final Fantasy, Assassin's Creed, Harry Potter  of course , and actual Wizard Wars!
1. Prologue

I was going to make an excuse about why I wasn't hear and all but then I was like... Fuck it. Readers don't care or would want to hear about my hardships or situations all they want is a story to make them feel however they want to feel. Well, here's to a new format!

**WARNING: **May contain weird situations like possible "incest" but I promise you it's not that bad. As well as mature content, and there may be possible headaches over what the hell is going on during the reading but I also promise you that it'll all make sense afterward. One more thing: I will not be responsible or liable for any physical pain due to this FanFic, if something does occur then it was most likely your fault. Less I actually went to your house and peanut-butter slapped you. Else I'd give you a hefty compensation for your troubles.

Prologue:

It was almost time, in a few minutes it'll be his birthday, as well as the day everyone he knew from his best friends Ron and Hermione to even acquaintances like Fleur and Krum were killed. All of his friends and their family were killed, and this greatly affected his mentality. For seven years Harry had searched for who did it. And ever since the end of the war Harry was able to sense when someone used an Unforgivable curse on someone, a skill that was quite handy for being part of the Aurors. However, in all of his friends' deaths not one was killed by the Avada Kedavra curse. Instead, the cause of death was similar to the curse in which that their bodies didn't have any signs of trauma, just that he didn't sense the aura that usually applied to Avada curse victims.

"Shit," he clutched his heart, remembering still hurt him. Harry hated remembering the pale, lifeless faces and the blank stares, "Their eyes!" Harry remembers he would say after another nightmare. It was always the same thing: a body he would know would wake up from it's eternal sleep and would just stare at him, Harry would try to talk to it but it'd never respond, just sits there looking at him as if it had regretted ever knowing him.

_I can't take it anymore._ He thought to himself. _Today, today I'll do it. I don't care and don't want to care about it anymore!_

"Today, today I'll make this pain go away." He whispered to himself. "I'm sorry everybody, I won't able to find the person who did this to you... But I'll join you, by the end of this day." He reached for the photograph that was beside his bed. It was a photo of the reformed Order of Phoenix, it included all of the surviving members from the past and the newer members from the last war.

"All of you are dead," Harry said to the photo, "all of you except me." He watched himself in the photo. "All dead because of me." The photo showed everyone happily talking to one another.

He dropped it. Tears had rolled down Harry's cheek, but it wasn't because of sadness. No, in more than seven years Harry was finally happy.

* * *

A/N Now, I may not be a review whore but I do like them so if you'd like to you can take a second of your time to write out a mature review. Now, I don't and won't accept any reviews or idiocy that doesn't relate to my work, therefore all comments that say _I _suck then I'll bloody well ignore you. In the words of the Japanese:

Jaa Nee!


	2. Penitence

_It is vain for the coward to flee; death follows close behind; it is only by defying it that the brave escape._

_-__François Marie Arouet,__ Under the Pen Name "__Voltaire"_

_**Chapter One: Penitence**_

Everything was pitch black as if Harry had his eyes closed.

"What happened? Where am I?" he asked to no one in particular and he didn't expect an answer .

"You're dying..." a dull disembodied voice replied.

"What do you mean? Who are you? Speak to me!" Harry yelled, his heart was beating fast and he felt disturbingly vulnerable. Trying his best to understand his predicament, Harry could only have called out to the voice.

"If you open your eyes you will understand death by its visage."

_What? _He thought about it but didn't question it. Harry tried his best to open his eyes, but through all his effort he only managed seeing a streak of white light. Then a terrible feeling slapped him in the face and it hurt, really hurt: whenever he tried opening his eyes the pain would become unbearable, it was as if his eyes were stapled together.

"What's wrong with me!" He screamed to the voice, a lump formed in his throat and sobs had begun to arise in his gut from the pain growing in intensity.

"Trust me before you know it you'll forget the pain, however I need you to open your eyes before you do anything else."

Again Harry did not question it. Roaring, Harry forcibly opened his eyes to bright white lights as the pain had all but knocked him unconscious.

Harry quickly tried his best to look around but all he could see was the white light. Fatigued he closed them again, unknowingly falling to darkness.

* * *

Harry was sitting in a plush burgundy chair with a black book titled _The Songstress_ in gold leaf on his lap. He opened the book.

_Chapter One _he read aloud, then continued.

_Over the years I've grown accustomed to the irresponsibility of procrastination. Never in my life though would I have guessed I would take a liking to it. However, it was only after the realization of tomorrow did I start to to become paralyzingly infatuated with irony. Yesterday, I found myself hoping to find the love of my life happily laying next to me in bed, only to find that I had killed him the night before and sent a letter to the police telling the details of my crime in the moment of my insanity. Who would've guessed? Besides, I told myself what other reason to aspire..._

"Interesting little book isn't it?" a soothing young voice called out.

Harry looked to the direction of the voice, putting the book on the chair as he stood up.

A man of about twenty was standing in front of him. The man's face was twenty but what was unusual about him was the wavy white hair that was carelessly made as if he had just gotten off a broom. He was tall too, about six foot two. Also unusual was his eyes, they were light gray, something Harry heard was a rarity. He was dressed in a ornate black hooded coat that fell to his knees.

"Where are we?" Harry asked him immediately.

The man walked ever closer to Harry, eyes carefully studying him.

"In you." He said simply.

"Me? I don't think I understand." Harry said truthfully, cautious of the man eyeballing him.

"We are in your mind, the center of your brain, the control room of your body." He said.

"Why are we here? And why are you here if this is my brain?"

"You're dead. Actually I think it's more accurate to say you died. And about me being in you, well let's just say I am but a person to help you become "undead.""

"So I truly did it? I really killed myself?" Harry asked unsurprisingly, which he thought was disconcerting.

"Yes, and you made quite the spectacle, do you know how hard it is to take the body of the deceased boy-who-lived in the middle of the Ministry of Magic?"

"I can only imagine." Harry said unenthusiastically, the realization he had had committed suicide was only beginning to dawn on him.

"Hard." The man said seriously, eyes unblinking.

Harry looked around, aside from the chair, himself and the man, Harry could only guess they were in some type of purgatory. A white room where there was an absence of dimensions and no latitude or longitude. He looked back at the man.

He broke the silence.

"My name is Lucifer. And I am planing on giving you a second chance."

"Lucifer?" Harry asked, a bit apprehensive by the name. "As in the devil: Satan, Lucifer?"

Lucifer chuckled. "I get that quite a lot. No, my name means Morning star, a star that's been confused for Venus, after the fallen king of Babylon and another for Syria, not the fallen angel: that is in the Bible."

"Well, don't I feel stupid." Harry relieved. "Still how do I know you're not really Satan? Trying to take my soul by a contract of some sort? I heard you say you wanted to bring me back, which would give me a second chance, and that's something I don't want."

"Not that kind of undead-bringing back thing. And the second chance thing is something you might want to hear. And there will be no contract involved. Just your consent."

Bemused by how he ignored Harry's first question he started again, "You didn't answer my question. How do I know?"

"You don't. However, if it calms you, I am made to always tell the truth."

Harry thought about it before deciding it sounded sketchy"I don't like it. You can forget giving me a second chance at my current life, it's a load of shite anyways."

Lucifer sighed.

"Well alright, I guess you can stay here reading that pleasant book of yours." He pointed to _The Songstress. _Harry looked at the book at revulsion, apparently Lucifer saw it and offered him a reprieve._"_Anyway, who said anything about second chances in your _current_ life? Come, I think you should learn about the details."

A door materialized from above them and landed in front of Lucifer. He opened it and motioned Harry to enter. Before Harry could enter he felt a surge of warm wind hit his face something the white room of the purgatory was missing. He looked around.

The room was dark, the room also had a greatly heightened ceiling reaching double that of a storey, had a heavy atmosphere much like a humid cave. A desk was in the centre, facing a black cushioned chair.

Lucifer closed the door behind Harry. He took out his wand and waved two heavy looking curtains behind the desk letting in the light from purgatory. It was odd seeing nothing but white outside a window, it seemed almost unnatural Harry thought.

Lucifer sat behind the desk. He gestured Harry to sit. As he did so Lucifer motioned with his hand above the desk making files to appear on top. He grabbed a particular one the had a stamp labeled: DEALINGS.

Lucifer glanced over to Harry who felt uncomfortable, not because of Lucifer but because it felt like Harry was about to get some bad news.

"I have files that regard everything about your life, however there's so much that I had to make sud files for you, your friends, everybody." He opened the file and took out a photo. It was a magical mugshot of a man barely twenty. A piece of parchment that was stapled on the right corner of the picture read:

* * *

Name: Daregor, Nint

Occupation: DD

Status: Active

Situational Operation: Accomplice to Himpton for the Dealings of Hermione and Ronald Weasley.

POI: High

* * *

Lucifer gave another piece of parchment to Harry who took it and read it.

"This... what is this?" Harry asked, letting the surprise and anguish wash over him.

"This is the man who helped set out a deal to have your friends', notably your best friends, deaths. We managed to get one of the top conspirators responsible for the attack on the Weasley's house. Though why they wanted them dead and who originally wanted it done has not been figured. Even though I clearly know who did it."

Harry looked up at Lucifer. "Who? Who did this and why?" He demanded desperately.

Lucifer looked down at a file on top of the desk, he turned it around and pushed it towards him. The cover read: PLAGUE.

Harry gave Lucifer a questioned look, hoping for answers.

Lucifer stood and looked outwards towards purgatory. "His... _its_ name is numerous. One of its more longer names is Qui equitat equum pallidum meaning He who rides the pale horse in the dead language,Yamaraj in another. But today we call him La Plagus."

"I don't care what the name is, all I want to know is who is he!"

"I empathize with you Harry but you got to understand that you're dead, partially because you killed yourself."

Harry immediately calmed when he saw Lucifer's stoic face and agreed with his reasoning.

Surprisingly he managed to avert his rage and asked a question. "Few questions first. Who is the guy and what do you mean by you haven't captured him? Are you an Auror or something? And what do you mean it was partially my fault when I killed myself? I'm pretty sure it was totally my fault."

"Amazing, in the seven years you've certainly outperform Harry." He paused for a moment. "Very well, for trying so hard to be calm I'll answer your questions fully. I'm a founder of a secret society called Legion that's under Vitae Councilium. An organisation built by an extinct race of powerful humans called Immortals. It was made before the Age of Man in response to the Gods, a despotic race of powerful wizard like people. Legion is a paramilitary unit that protects humanity, meaning muggles and wizards alike. I can tell you the details later because I think it'll take a few years to tell the tale. As for who Plagus is, well let's just say he ties in with the founding of Legion. It kills for no reason and its sole purpose in life is to corrupt the "souls" of everything on Earth. We don't know exactly the identity of the thing, but I'm assuming this parasite is using a host body, and even then it never does any job itself. And it is partially my fault because I was in charge I finding its dealings and to try to prevent them, only this time it was way ahead of me. By passing all my information agents and Legion members. Making it impossible for me to protect anyone, especially your friends. And alas, I believe it wanted you and everyone you know dead for this sole reason, it finds you as a threat, a threat that kills itself. Why and how you're connected with this is stupidly unimaginable."

Harry contemplated Plagus. An "it" that spreads around killing people to infect people's souls? Vitae Collusium or whatever it was called fighting it? Immortals? Lucifer's answers had left Harry in a state he would only rarely find himself with Hermione. A state of having gained more questions than answers. However being dead allowed him to digress fairly quickly.

"So Plagus is the one behind all my friends' murders?" He inquired.

"Yes." Lucifer stated plainly.

"And you have no way of knowing why?"

"Exactly right."

"Back to the bringing me back to life thing: how are you going to do it?"

Lucifer became serious, or at least more so as he answered, "Time machine. You're not going to be able to live in your current state, you've made sure to be thorough, however, I do know how to change that."

"So what are you going to use a time turner?"

"No, time turners can only bring you back a couple hours, days if you modify it. Even then it brings you back exactly how you are so you'll remain a puddle of muck. No what we're going to use is an invention of mine. It'll be able to transverse time and space in years. A lot more powerful than a turner. However there is a downside."

Harry braced for the bad news, apprehensive that it might include him in it.

"The machine is built for massive power influx, not accuracy."

"So?"

"So, the fact that my machine uses enough power to send you through years of the past means I can only estimate not pinpoint how far you'll go."

Harry wasn't so sure about this, he didn't want to end up surrounded by dinosaurs. Lucifer must have saw his doubt however as he made sure to reassure Harry.

"However, fear not. The machine can only go back two decades, to the time it was built since you can only go back in time when the machine actually exists."

That relieved some tension in Harry.

"But to more gruesome consequences-"

"There's more?" Harry interrupted.

"This machine acts like it breaks a lot of physics, something mother nature doesn't like. You see she's unpredictable sometimes. If you go back you not only go back to change the time line but you change your fate. Even more so though is that this machine doesn't do this. Think of it as if you're writing down your autobiography and then coming up to your death part, instead of erasing said death, you continue to write your history by saying you went back in time. This is a concept that is essential to your understanding of what we're doing here. Mother nature is going to pissed at you if you don't. She can turn you into a woman, give you teste cancer, or some of the kind. Do you understand?"

Harry nodded. Though he wasn't too sure about what he was really trying to say.

Lucifer looked at him, studying his expression.

"If you understand then I advise we start our training." Lucifer said absentmindedly going to the door.

"What training?"Harry asked, getting up and following Lucifer.

"We're in limbo Harry, This place will act as your playground, anything you want you get. Think of it as a dream."

"Yeah I was meaning to ask you, where _exactly_ are we."

"When you attempted suicide and blew yourself up like you did Legion agents were quick to put you to sleep, I then made sure your heart and everything else essential for life was functioning. I entered your mind through Legimens, I met you in a dream world of your making, then I had you sleep in it, entering your dream. This makes sure I can talk to you for longer periods of time."

"How so?" Harry asked interested about this.

"Well, when you sleep you have a time dilation sort of effect, and when you sleep in dreams the dilation is increased. So a second in the real world is half a minute in your dream world, then perhaps in the next dream it'll be a minute for every second in the latter dream then maybe a minute and half the next and so forth so forth."

"How many times have I went to sleep then?"

"Enough." Lucifer said in a balmy voice.

"How long is training then?"

"I'll estimate around thirty years."

Harry may have heard the loudest silence ever. Followed by the largest brain fart he's ever heard.

"Thir... Thirt... Thirty y-y-years! You do realize that is a three with a zero next to it right?" Harry exclaimed in an almost condescending manner.

Lucifer nodded.

"I was hoping for longer but unfortunately we hit limbo sooner than I had hoped. Which means I will not be able to teach you a lot of the history of Vitae and the Immortals. I will however be able to teach you some philosophical aspects of life, defense, strategy, tactics, balancing, empowerment techniques, hand to hand combat, and I guess some other things would help as well..." Lucifer went on as if he was crossing things out off a list mentally.

Harry didn't know it but for the next thirty years the training he was about to endure was to make him become one of Britain's most learned wizard, all before he turned seventeen.

* * *

**A/N** I hope I'm going off to a good start? You should tell me :) click ze review but'un and win ze prize of ze lie' time, mah ever enduring love! You know you want it ;)

P.s. The next Chapters were inspired entirely by Agnostics Puppet. One of my few favorited authors here on FFN!

P.s.s. Excuse any of my spelling typos, I'm hoping to rewrite this story once I finish it. So don't hate on any missed wordings or the like.

Jaa nee!


	3. Reality Check

_Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one._

_-Albert Einstein_

_**Chapter Two: Reality Check**_

Harry looked out to the horizon. This was his favorite time in limbo: the sunrise.

It has been thirty years since he was told a parasitic anomaly named La Plagus had went after his friends and family with no particular reason other than to kill off humanity and that an organization named Vitae Councilium tracks Plagus's movements. It was also the time where he was told there are actually real Gods and Goddesses that fought a race called the Immortals. But that was about it, there wasn't much history planned in Harry's training. That and also build limbo since there wasn't much to do in one's mind. Lucifer had explained that the more Harry's limbo was built and created with the intent to have it seem realistic the better his occlumency would become.

The reason was that if a person used Legilimency or Legimens (the entering of the mind opposed to Legilimency where you probe the feelings and memories of a person) and tries to disturb his mind then that person would become stuck within his subconscious at his mercy unless Harry himself released him. A powerful defense even against Dumbledore Lucifer added. However it could backfire, if the person trying to invade Harry's mind managed to realise that he was in a dream then that person could exploit the surroundings of Harry's subconscious by talking to the pedestrians for example. Fortunately for Harry Lucifer had a back up plan if that was to occur.

"If ever that was to happen you must think about a very specific thing you wouldn't exactly want anyone to know. For example a leaf or iron wall. If it's Legilimency a leaf would be preferable because leaves are elastic and not everybody would guess what your thinking is actually a leaf. For better defense you can think about the leaf's color, and all that a Legiliment's user would see is green. Intense concentration and the understanding of abstraction and the intangible is needed for occlumency.

"If however the person is using Legimens then that said person would be deterred by a leaf instead all he has to do is rip it apart, entering your mind. Instead in this case erecting iron walls around him would isolate the threat and he'll have to fight against your will, your will being as solid as iron."

Afterward Harry had spent nearly half a decade on this part of the training, being assaulted by Lucifer's mind attacks where he would be using Legilimency and Legimens randomly in order to catch Harry off guard. It paid off Harry managed to get to the level where he didn't have to worry about anyone invading his mind without his permission.

Taking Lucifer's advise into consideration Harry erected simple strategies for knowing when someone tried to enter his mind. Tunnels that made a person walk in circles was one along with various checkpoints of Harry's projection of an Auror would alert Harry. He changed a bit though when Lucifer managed to trick the one Auror into believing he was the Minister. He spawned a cell maze where Auror projections were placed above the labyrinth by cliffs overlooking it. This made it so that the invader would take his or her time funneling in circles while the Aurors would signal to Harry that there was a person there. This gave Harry time to prepare for the mind attack.

Apparently Lucifer was happy with this set up after he was caught in less than a few seconds and then alarms were sounded.

As for Legilimency attacks, Harry had placed a series of nets that were attached to alarms that released werewolves from cages. This not only gave Harry proper delay time to erect protection but the werewolves themselves thwarted any such probe from entering past his limbo's city. Lucifer assured Harry that Snape wasn't going to be able to mind rape his mind in fifth his year this time!

As well Harry's training involved sharp pointy objects, notably daggers, swords, and gauntlets that had hidden blades attached to the palm side of the gloves. There was also heavy magic training as well. Lucifer had made sure to start at the basics. Harry had remembered the day.

"You've been taught how to fight with weapons and your hands but as a wizard you must be able to fight with a wand. Come show me the extent of your prowess."

Harry went into a defensive position Auror training had shown him to do. Lucifer simply stood meticulously cleaning his wand with a conjured handkerchief. Impatient Harry quickly switched to an attacking position and blasted an expulso spell at Lucifer's feet then slashing his wand in rapid succession, sent two stunners and an expelliarmus at him. The expulso vanished halfway towards its target while the stunners practically grew a brain of its own and steered out of its once straight path. The expelliarmus dissipated into a wisp of blue smoke passing through Lucifer as vapor.

Lucifer looked up as if the duel hadn't commenced. "Did you start?" He asked in near sincerity.

Harry looked at his wand, confusion clearly visible in his face. Looking to Lucifer for an answer Lucifer softy chuckled.

Grin present on his face Lucifer walked forward reach the point where the expulso had vanished.

"Do you feel it?" He asked Harry.

Immediately after Lucifer took one more step Harry felt a heavy pressure pressed on top of him. It made breathing hard. Harry knees then began to buckle under the pressure and didn't take long for him to fall to them.

"This is what I used for your expulso. And this...," Lucifer took another step. The pressure change reminiscent of a plow truck, "was used for your stunners." And then he took another step forward. The pressure lifted and became a whirlwind before disappearing.

"That was used for your expelliarmus." He said while he used wandless magic to help Harry up to his feet.

It was that day he "rediscovered" magical pressure.

He was told that all wizards and witches used magical pressure, particularly in duels. Sometimes though someone's projection of their pressure would be weaker than the attackers, or that the attack itself was stronger than theirs. Also whenever someone cringed by an attack the magical pressure they used would become a pillow of magic behind them because the fear for one's safety from an attack usually changes a person's pressure to that most wanted. Which meant that the intent of a person affected greatly the range, effect, power, strength, finesse, durability, absorbency, flexibility and reliability of your pressure. It was also this pressure that allowed others to perform wandless magic. It was the trick of making your pressure noticeable and felt that kept people from performing wandless magic.

The lack of wandless magic was also attributed to the fact that because the wizarding community knew so little about a magically sensitive person's core.

Fortunately for Harry Lucifer knows everything about it. The function of cores allows all beings to live. This meant muggles, animals, plants, microbes all had magically infused cores. Interestingly enough, though, wizards are more sensitive to their cores that allow themselves to "acknowledge" their powers, but even then they still needed wands to focus their magic much like a water hose provides shape for the water when it is being realeased. Muggles however, would need several decades of training to be able to even feel their cores because muggles hadn't needed magic to survive, their own ingenuity allowed them to live peaceful or at least sustainable lives. But just because they weren't in tuned to their own cores didn't mean they couldn't produce a child that was able.

Harry thought this effectively dismissed the claim that muggle-borns needed to have some sort of magical ancestral family bond of some sort.

After the theory lesson Lucifer told Harry they would move on to a practical session to practice the feel of magical pressure. However, knowing how he had to throw spells for an introduction to the new lesson Harry wouldn't be surprised if the practical session would include him standing waiting for spells to fly his way.

"Yay." Harry said in mock anticipation.

Lucifer smiled, Harry took note that if he was a bender he would've thought that was a beautiful smile.

It took a year for him to master magical pressure. He was now able to erect a physical shield of magic around him at all times, allaying his fear of any surprise attacks he's sure he'll get during any "fun" he'll get into, this led him to some questions about his future.

What was he going to do now that he had knowledge of the whereabouts of the horcruxes? Would it make sense if by chance he comes back in time during school only to come back with advanced magic? So many questions but so few answers. The only reasoning that made Harry content was his own: he'll deal with it when he got to it. Besides Lucifer had managed to teach Harry some more about "Mother Nature" a term he despised.

Effectively he was going back in time, but in reality it was more accurate to say that he was going to create a new alternate universe. A universe where he comes back with the strength and knowledge to save his friends and family from death. Though the problems and obstacles that can occur were numerous. The universe may not make him the boy-who-lived but rather just a regular students, upon thinking about it he decided he'd help that universe's boy-who-lived for not just his sake but for his friends'. It didn't matter that they wouldn't know him, all that mattered was that magical Britain would live happily and in peace. But after this spur of the moment questioning he decided to stop thinking about going back but rather on his wandless magic.

His mastery of magical pressure helped immensely with all of his magics tenfold, he was also unimaginatively proud in being able to do wandless magic. When he mastered changing his magical pressure in par with his intent Harry quickly mastered silent then wordless magic.

If was after this that theory spells were reviewed.

Harry and Lucifer were walking down limbo's beach shore that Harry created talking about the value of basic magic. Harry who insisted he should start learning more advanced magic started to get bugged by how much of a prat Lucifer was on this particular subject.

"Tell me do you know why I'm reviewing basic magic like levitation and growth spells?" Lucifer countered, peeved by how Harry was acting.

"No. There's no reason to, all my spells have gotten better, tenfold!" Harry exclaimed.

"Really..." Lucifer challenged. "Then I suppose that if I sent a Avada curse at you you'd be able to use your magical pressure to block it, deflect it, absorb or dissipate it?"

"Of course not, you told me that there's spells you can't block sometimes, killing curse being one."

"Exactly. How do you suppose your going to block it then?"

"Er..."

"Trust me Harry in less than a decade you'll be endowed with the wisdom and knowledge to block several killing curses using nothing but levitation."

This calmed Harry, as the lessons surely taught him many things.

Killing curses were able to be isolated. Even though there were variations of the curse they were all the same. Lucifer taught Harry how to bring up a shield of water to absorb the curse, the water acted as a type of jar for the curse. He then learnt that the curse was still effective so if he was to dump the water on to, say, Death Eaters they'd get a full dose of the killing curse. The only way for the curse to dissipate was for the water to become diluted. That happened if either someone touched the water, dying by taking the full dose of the curse for a period of time which was around ten seconds or the strength for the curse (typically five) was shared and the water would be diluted instantly, or if the water spread the curse enough in its volume to remove potency making it harmless.

Other tricks were taught as well. Harry could make trees grow from anywhere, and create slabs of earth appear. This was hard to do but instead he compensated by just using the earth itself, so he had torn a whole shack-sized piece of concrete to once block a hex in one of Lucifer's many mock battles.

It remained like this for many years, without the need of sleep or food Harry studied and practiced years at a time. The training would sometimes be followed with actual nonmagic lessons. He learnt many things during their lessons in the Age of Enlightenment and plenty of different eras like the Renaissance and Reformation. Pacifism was an ideal Lucifer had made as an agenda apparently, from Zen Buddhism to atheism, up to Einstein he made sure to supply an ounce of hopeful pacifistic criteria in their lessons.

History, math, science, healing techniques, more spells, curses, defensive and offensive techniques and positions, instantaneous parries, and even things Harry taught himself were learnt in what seemed like days, which soon made the years come and go really fast.

It was in the last three years though that Lucifer wanted Harry to practice something very seriously. It was called the Dash. It was a sort of apparition he didn't want to botch up. It was a molecular apparition that included having you rapidly apparate, except this didn't include the turning on the spot and thinking of the location bits of regular apparition. The first time Lucifer had done it he flew to a height of twenty feet being nearly surrounded by what seemed like black smoke.

"Whenever you dash you create echoes of you past self, which in turns creates a black residue resembling black smoke. It also provides some benefits, locomotion, and concealment if you so choose." He Dashed in place, the smoke having cocooned him, he then disappeared and appeared behind Harry. Dashing allowed you to fly, apparate, and concealed you but it was one of the hardest things to master. All Legion members were taught to be able to Dash which typically took three years.

Lucifer explained how to do then he left him to do it alone for a while, only checking to see his progress, Harry needed to feel how it was to Dash nothing more. It was this step that he needed down, afterward in Lucifer's words: "You can revel in the fact that you're now a flying wizard that's able to hide in the shadows while pondering why your clothes gets withered every time you Dash."

Unfortunately he wasn't kidding. The first time Harry Dashed all of his clothes were ripped bit by small bit, the echoes being his only source of decency. It quickly became a traumatized experienced but a good one. Not knowing the condition of his clothes he thought of flying up and so it happened, in break neck speeds. He was nearly as fast as his Firebolt Harry soon realised. The feeling of Dashing was better than a broom because it felt so natural. That and there were no pains between his legs afterward.

When he touched back down Harry went to find Lucifer immediately to tell him that his training was done.

Lucifer was hiding in one of the plenty useful hidey-holes spread across limbo. This one was presented as a cafe where numerous pedestrian projections were walking to get coffee.

"Lucifer I'm done! I've finished training!" He said gleefully.

Lucifer who was reading a book didn't look up when he said in a soft voice, "I know, your projections were yelling "look at that!" "Naked guy up in the sky!" The projections had looked at Harry and down to his package when Harry looked down to see he had lost his clothes. He quickly covered up. The pedestrians all smiled, and laughed at his predicament. Harry was lucky to have lost his clothes in his mind rather than in the real world he thought.

"Dashing keeps you in homeostasis, so your body temperature would remain somewhere near the ninety's even in sub temperatures. And don't worry about your clothes it happens to everybody their first time. Practice a couple times and you'll be alright." Lucifer continued without ever breaking eye contact with his book.

It was but a few days of practicing Dashes that he got it down. Lucifer was visibly happy Harry was able to master it and so he finally told him the process of using the time machine.

"In your mind you're officially fifty-five years old. So you've got to be careful to act your age wherever you happen to be in. It'd be pretty disconcerting if an eleven year old knew how to destroy buildings before he even gets a wand. Also if somehow you're not the boy-who-lived or end up without family I'll take care of it."

"How?" asked Harry.

"I'll take you in as my son." He smiled.

Harry was dumbstruck. "Wait, you'd adopt me? Are you sure?"

"It'd be my honor. Besides I felt during the past thirty years you've become a son to me. Naturally I'd do what I can for my son."

Harry beamed, true he was an old man mentally, but the absence of a father had truly affected him in ways unimaginable and he truly respected Lucifer for the way he had treated and taught him.

"You don't know how that makes me feel. Thank you." Harry saluted: bowing his head with his right hand in the centre of his chest in respect.

Lucifer smiled kindly and patted Harry on the shoulder. "Now, there's some things that I'm going to do to you, when you make it to the past that is, I will ask you to allow me to enter your mind. I will extract our memories here that way I understand your and my position and history in this universe."

Harry nodded, he was too nervous to disagree with him, and he already spent thirty years with him, too long a time to refuse him now.

"I'm ready, just tell me what to do." Harry said with determination.

"I've got keep you asleep, I think in the current position your in you'll be in extreme pain if I wake you. You'll be awaken when you're on the _O__therside_. This will unfortunately be a goodbye, but will undoubtedly be a hello later on." Shaking his adopted father's hand Harry along with limbo was encased in darkness.

* * *

**A/N **So the button has been pressed in anticipation of the next chapter. I kind of rushed this chapter's ending something I might fix later on but I've assumed that this is a good place to end it, since the Chapter's name pertains to his time in limbo. Unfortunately I haven't been able to expressively talk about the extents of all the things Harry has learnt but that a given, I mean come on: thirty freaking years of experience will take thirty freaking years to write. However, I will show you the things he learnt, other than the ones detailed in this Chapter because I kind of wanted to clear up confusion for later, in later Chapters. Again review, they're like cookies to me and it keeps my stomach happy :] also you might want to wait a bit for the next update, it'll take considerable amounts of time because I'm planning on making it at least 10,000 words. Also anyone willing to beta for me?

In the name of the Shadow, Reaper, and the messor Grim.

Jaa nee!


	4. Deus for Family

**_Disclaimer: Should have done this in the beginning._**

**_Me: Where are my Royalties from Harry's biography, Rat Piss?_**

**_Wormtail: It's Wormtail my lord and you never wrote a biography of Harry Potter's life let alone written a letter._**

**_Me: You do understand Rat Piss that I keep you around only because you and I are Bronies, correct?_**

**_Wormtail: My name is Wormtail. Yes, my lord I do know we share a love for My Little Ponies Friendship is Magic and that's why you keep me around._**

**_Me: Well I recently found a Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash slash Fic on FFN, which means I no longer need you and you don't have to repeat yourself Rat Piss it's becoming annoying._**

**_Wormtail: Please, milord: it's Wormtail. And I didn't know! Had I known there was a such a pairing I would've read it!_**

**_Me: Avada Kedavra!_**

* * *

_Once confined to fantasy and science fiction, time travel is now simply an engineering problem._

_-Michio Kaku_

_**Chapter Three: Deus for Family**_

Harry awoke by a soft hand on his shoulder. He felt slimy and oddly vulnerable much like his first time in limbo.

"Keep your eyes closed for a bit, Harry. Don't want to have you unexpectedly blind." A sing-song voice said, this calmed Harry and stopped his squirming.

"Evanesco," he heard Lucifer cast. Harry's vulnerability suddenly vanished along with whatever slime was on him.

"You can open your eyes now Harry," he listened and proceeded to open his eyes slowly.

He was in a dimly lit circular room, which let him notice a couple notable facts.

The floor was marble white in the centre of where he was however was large metallic rings that span in counter clockwise and clockwise directions a couple were bobbing up and down. The contraption reminded him of a gyroscope Lucifer had once shown him. There were several symbols on each of the seven rings, the symbols looked like nothing Harry's seen before and Harry was taught a lot of languages and runes during limbo.

_Guess this is the time machine. _He thought.

It may have been the fact that he was fifty-five in his head inside a teen's body, or the chill on his body but there was definitely something changed about him, Harry didn't feel as old as he was supposed to be. However, the realisation that the chill was because of being naked quickly overtook his new found youth as a beautiful girl with very bright blonde hair smiled at him and pointed downwards. Harry looked down to where she was pointing. Blushing a bright pink he covered up using his hands and harshly asked a familiar face next to the girl, "Why am I naked? Again!"

The man Harry had viewed as a father figure, at least in his universe, smirked. "Apparently traveling through time leaves a person quite sensitive."

"Why are you hiding your gifts? I believe that's nothing to be ashamed of." The girl beside Lucifer giggled, emphasizing his nakedness by pointing towards his appendage, again.

He blushed beat red, "Well sorry, I've never had the experience of being an extortionist."

A young man that can pass for Lucifer's brother with the only difference being he had black hair with subtle white streaks came in with clothes in his hands from a hidden door. "I believe these are for you."

Harry remained sitting on the marble floor covering his processions. He grabbed the clothes with one hand and everyone left, leaving a very embarrassed fifty-five year old teen to change into his clothes.

The clothes he was given were sublime. Dark fitted trousers and a white carven silk shirt. Simple enough but they were fitted perfectly to his body. This helped out wonderfully for him because his body truly was sensitive, he was raw as if he was put through a sandblaster car-wash. Bare footed he stood, feeling the warmth of the marble. "Weird, warm stone?" he pondered.

He then left through the door. Everyone was waiting outside sitting on plush white and black chairs when he came in they immediately looked at him, all of them had sincere smiles that somehow made Harry uncomfortable.

"Any problems?" the girl teased.

"No, body's just a bit raw though." Harry replied to the girl truthfully.

"Harry I'm sure I told you about needing memories that pertain to our time in limbo but I would find it better if you gave me the consent." Lucifer averted the conversation, he looked at him pleadingly.

Harry nodded giving his consent. Lucifer immediately shot up and stepped slowly towards him.

Brandishing open his palm over Harry's head he closed his eyes and whispered, "Legimens."

A shock of the mind attack had passed as Harry let Lucifer pass through the traps.

"Impressive." Harry heard him say.

Then they were in purgatory, except instead this was a different land, it was lighted not by white light but by true black lights. Harry turned to Lucifer feeling his presence.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"The black room, much different from limbo. But all the more dangerous to have invaded. This is the gap between the dream world and reality, the bridge for your imagination and your memories. The crossing of subconscious and conscious thinking. It is here where I would choose to leave memories and experiences."

"And for any particular reason?"

"You do not become aware of anything placed here. It just _is_ existent here. Much like having a box in a public warehouse. This is also the place where experiences like riding a bike but not remembering the actual ride is stored. It's a safe place." He explained the last part somewhat lamely.

He waved his hand conjuring numerous boxes of files into existence.

"I guess I'll just take these," pulling out several stamped files from the boxes, then a whole box. The box had a label that read: WORKOUT.

"Codename for your training." He explained to Harry. Harry remembered the training even still, the day he learnt that symbolizing and abstracting everything in your mind was major to giving confusing information to invaders.

"Ah." Lucifer then released his hold on Harry's mind and then the two found themselves back in reality.

Lucifer held a blank stare for a while, looking as though the files of memory he had attained were being run across his eyes, until finally looking back at Harry. A sad face plagued Lucifer's face momentarily then he motioned the two strangers towards him.

"Harry I'd like you to meet the family. My son Lucifer Seraph Shadow and my daughter Etoile (Pronounced: Et-tow wall) Anon Shadow."

Harry looked at the son, he offered his hand which he shook. "Harry, pleasure to meet you, you can call me Seraph." He then looked to the beautiful girl, she had quickly gained a composed and matured stature quite opposite to the one she had shown in the room.

"Sorry for earlier, you know: the compliment, actually now that I think about it it did sound like a humiliation, though I assure you you do have an amazing gift." She said with serenity. This made him blush pink again.

"In all honesty Lucifer didn't tell me he had children. In fact I thought that you were his siblings," which Harry truthfully thought, apparently they took this as a compliment as they smiled.

"Go on, I need to talk to Harry about some things." Lucifer looked perplexed as he sat down on a black plush chair. The two Shadows left the room leaving a heavy atmosphere of anticipation in the air.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, concerned over Lucifer.

"There is a couple things that I have to regret informing you. Though it's because I don't know why..." He looked over sadly, eyes drooping, thirty years seemingly hitting him in the face.

Harry didn't like where this was going albeit he did anticipate this moment. "Go ahead."

"You're not the boy-who-lived." Lucifer stated simply.

Shock and surprise would not explain the emotions that had gripped Harry by this news. However his training calmed him and he managed to talk even though he had a lump in his throat so large he was sure it was cancerous.

"Who is it then? Please don't tell me it's Malfoy!" Harry said apprehensively.

"Fortunately no, it's a person named Nova Evanescence Potter. _Daughter_ to James and Lily Potter. She's the same age as you and she's starting her fourth year in not a couple months."

"Nova? Nova, as in she? As in I'm a girl? As in..."

"Yes, this universe apparently has you playing Guardian Angel, so to speak. Angel for the female version of you."

Harry thought it over, sure he anticipated maybe having brothers or a sister, twins, anything, but to realise you're no longer been birthed, he was forcibly put into a universe where he knows he had no parents or connections to anything at all; he just is. A consequence he knew about but never thought would happen.

"Is that it?" Harry replied grimly.

"Not quite. But I think you can figure out the rest yourself. I find the differences between your future and this one playing more intimately than anything."

"And that's supposed to mean?" He asked looking for an answer.

"If you get to know her you'll know the differences," said Lucifer rather obviously.

Harry digressed after a long silence and he continued, "So, you have children?"

Lucifer laughed, "You sure know how to digress! Yes, I have children. I didn't inform you last time because I didn't think about it."

"Hmm... if I'm not the boy-who-lived then..." He looked appreciatively at Lucifer who answered.

"Yes, I'm still following with what I said, I'm taking you in as my son, we have to hide our identities though. I'm sure I can figure something out before school starts." He looked down, he's in thought Harry told himself though what about was beyond him. Even spending thirty years with the man it was impossible to truly figure out Lucifer. Like today, he may be thinking about identity changes but he may in fact be thinking about suitable ways to get rid of Crunkelshack warts.

"Maybe it needs Dexoric powder?" Lucifer mumbled under his breath. Harry mentally laughed, using as much willpower to avoid punishment for making fun of Lucifer's eccentrics, eccentrics Lucifer argues are perfectly real problems. Unfortunately Harry must not have stifled his already stifled laughter because Lucifer looked up.

"What do you want to do Harry?" he asked randomly.

Harry was taken back by the question, "Do what?" he asked dumbly.

"This is your second chance Harry, how you want to proceed going about with the circumstances inflicted upon you is of course entirely up to you. You could stay away from Nova Potter's life and focus on Plagus, you could also intervene in the upcoming British Magical war, or you can just sit down and relax in some beach in California."

_Oh,_ he thought to had already decided that he'd help the person-who-lived if he were to become irrelevant to the universe, only because it would benefit his past friends and now he truly felt like he didn't want this Potter to experience what he had. He quickly answered, "I'm going to help her."

Lucifer didn't seem surprised by his answer. Instead he got up and quickly started listing off what needed to be done to do so.

"First I'm going to have to adopt you formally, but even before that I need to make up a history of you, but it's simple really, then I'll enroll you and your future brothers and sister to Hogwarts..."

While Harry was listening a surge of pain had erupted in his chest. Harry fell to his knees, another surge of pain erupted through his chest and spread to his limbs, micro cuts filling in the inside of his being. A cough escaped his lips and black blood trickled down the corner of his mouth. A brief moment of darkness engulfed his vision and soon found himself in a brightly lit room and warmly snuggled in a bed. Harry removed the white cotton sheets and sat up.

The pain, what was the pain from, he thought. Remembering what had happened but just a few moments ago.

A door opened from behind and Lucifer walked in looking grim and concerned again.

"What happened?" asked Harry, standing up.

Lucifer moved to the end of the bed and gave Harry a hopefully look.

"A blast from the past, it seems. You were asleep for a week."

"A whole week?" Harry exclaimed.

"The pain was from an ancient magic. Cursed magic. You're tainted by the traumas of war and death. Something no one should experience. The time flux must have magnified this trauma and got you tainted."

"Tainted? You make me sound dark," Harry grimly laughed.

"It sounds dark because it is dark. What happened to you in your universe will happen to Nova if she went through the same process, the symptoms will be a lot more subtle but the taint will be present I suppose this only makes you more adamant about helping Ms. Potter doesn't it?"

A little bit, Harry thought. "Will this affect me anymore? This taint?" Harry asked.

"Not so much as I hope. Last week's attack was your body's defense mechanism. It purged most of the taint but I believe if we do not find a cure the taint will only grow increasingly deadly, until it becomes fatal. Anyway I think talking about your melancholy is quite depressing, I have good news."

This brightened Harry's mood, being told he was tainted and would most likely die from said taint didn't really lift his spirits so much as the scarcity of good news and the bringing of said news by Lucifer.

"You're now enrolled to Hogwarts and as well a citizen of the United Kingdom. Congratulations, Mr. Shepherd."

"I assume you did this while I was asleep Mr. Shepherd?" Harry teased, playing with the new surname.

"No, I had my other son Leon do it for me while I was attending something."

"There's another one?" Harry truly didn't know Lucifer as he thought he did.

"Yes, and expect a mother," he laughed. Rusty sense of humor Harry thought. _Just like the old one._ He mused.

It was after this conversation that Harry had started to walk around the house, taking a tour with Etoile's help.

"Father likes transparency, allows light to come in. Brightens the room you see?" she explained. Harry inquired on why there was so many large windows and open areas. "Also let's the cool breeze in." She added after a while.

"To the north is the Free Hills. In the south are the Belligerent Mountains, and to the west is the Atlantic. East holds the Rein Forest."

"A rainforest? Where exactly are we?"

"_Rein _Forest, it's small but dense, perfect to keep us isolated. We're also unplottable and anyone looking in the skies would only see the ocean in our place. The land acts as our own fortress."

The rooms he was led into were surgically clean and bright, brightening even more when light was present illuminating the entirety of the house.

The house itself was fantastically large. Seventeen bedrooms he counted, not including the numerous living rooms and other unknown rooms. There was four levels: The underground level, first floor, second floor, and the asymmetrical rooms perpendicular to the second floor that was layered like a puzzle. In actuality the house wasn't really a house anymore when Harry thought about it, in fact it resembled a corporate office of some sort or skyscraper.

"Why need all this space, I assume there's a good reason?" Harry asked Etoile as they walked in the infirmary room.

"We have lot's of people come over sometimes, can be annoying other times. Though I guess it comes with being a Shadow," Etoile said nonchalantly.

"There's also some benefits," she added teasingly, "of course, you're going to notice this yourself so no need for spoilers." Harry was going to ask what kind of benefits but apparently Etoile already knew. When he pressed on what she meant she adamantly turned him down, smiling as she somehow managed to run from his view.

The rest of Harry's days left him planning on what he was going to do about Nova Evanescence Potter. Waiting for Lucifer to tell him otherwise. Harry also thought his planning was going on fantastically. He was sure what he had planned would be impossible to fudge and with his new abilities it would then be child's play.

On one such day he was in a room he had chosen as his own, a gift for becoming part of the family, and he chosen this room specifically because of the view of the ocean and the large open balcony that could have held a capacity of twenty people. As he was leaning on the balcony's fence something odd started happening.

First Harry became drowsy, second a tingling sensation had spread throughout his body much like the time his taint had crippled his body but instead of pain he felt like being tickled. Lastly as he tried his best to focus on his planning he entered a hazy dreamlike state. This made him fall to a pleasant sleep on his desk awakening when he felt the sunshine hit his face, finding himself in his bed.

Seraph was sitting next to Harry overlooking the sunrise. Without moving his gaze Seraph calmly greeted Harry.

"Good morning. I hope you're feeling better."

Harry sat up, he did feel better. Much better, his raw skin was absent, and overall stress was gone. He reached for his glasses that he put on a nightstand before his blackout. He was surprised that it wasn't there.

"Let your eyes get accustomed. You'll find that you no longer need glasses."

He did so, pausing for a short while for his eyes to adapt to the bright light.

"How long have I been out?" Harry asked this question because he wouldn't be surprised if he was sleeping for a month.

"I don't like the sound of your tone, you make it sound like we're knocking you out or something." Seraph laughed. "Four days."

Having his question confirmed he asked Seraph for the nature of the blackout.

Instead of giving an answer he simply handed him a mirror. Harry took the hand mirror and looked into it. What he saw shocked him considerably. No longer was there a raven haired, malnourished, pathetic boy. In the mirror staring at him was a beautiful person who had pulled back kept hair. The only thing that held any semblance of his past features was the emerald green eyes his mother had given him.

His face was closer to that of an exotic hawk, more beautiful than any Veela. And Harry had slept with numerous Veela in his past life. He was now in par with his family's beauty.

He dropped the mirror and ran his hands on his body, muscles he was sure wasn't there had appeared _everywhere._ It seemed whatever happened to him had enhanced every fibre of his being. Along with a couple of his "sensitive" appliances.

"What in the bloody hell happened?" Harry asked Seraph incredulously, in a high pitched somewhat angry, somewhat curious voice.

"Don't look at me," Seraph said in mock offense, "the house did it."

"You're going to accuse the house?"

"Hmm... I didn't think that out. Well it's for a good reason. You see, this is the house of Umbra, it turns the family into what they want to become, what they need to be, and what they deserve to have. Apparently it decided in giving you better eyesight along with a few tweaks on your physical appearance. And spent no expense on having you in your best, I see."

Harry was still rubbing his new abs, they were rock hard, but stopped immediately when he heard Seraph's comment.

"Anymore surprises?" Harry in a pensive mood. He started touching parts of his body not embarrassed that his brother was in the same room.

"None that I know of... Come, get dressed mother and Leon (Pronounced: Lee-own as in the French Pronouncement of Napoleon) have just come home they're really giddy about meeting you." Seraph still had a blank stare pointed at the sunrise.

Harry thought it was weird how Seraph didn't once look at him. He waved his hand in front of Seraph.

When he didn't react he stopped waving his hand. "Seraph are you blind?"

Lucifer looked at Harry. Sadly he smiled. "Yes, but not how you'd think," said Seraph coolly.

"Then blind how?" asked Harry.

"I don't see you, I see wine glasses."

Harry gave an incredulous look.

"I see you as a manifestation of solids, liquids, or gases, maybe all of them. Depends on the person really. Sometimes there are mixtures. Sometime not. But everyone is born as water to me, showing me how pure one is. But when you grow up you might have drank to many butterbeers. So in effect yellow solutions may be present in your glass of water, the vessel that is your body. It's how I determine your true self." He finished in an obvious manner.

"So you know the history of person?" asked Harry lamely.

"In a sense, I know who they are, were, and can predict who they will become. Though my divination is pretty flop-sided. More importantly I know when a person lies to me. I have an acute sensitivity to magic unlike any other except of course to father. So I "see" spells also in their true forms.

"A blessing... and curse you have now attained, without the blindness. Along with an assortment of other traits."

"Like what?" Harry asked.

"Before, the Gods, Vitaens, and Splicers, the three dominate races of the past, cursed us and also blessed us each with type of bond because of the Immortal's past actions against them all. Course it got passed down to us."

"Lucifer mentioned the Gods. So it's true? There's actual Gods?" Harry asked ever the more curious.

"Yes, but these were but powerful sages. People much like today's muggle's leaders. They held considerable influence back then, the Immortals being the very first of the wizards created a power vacuum when they defied them. The Vitaens were allies, at first but then the Immortals had to do something drastic to insure the weren't going to be wiped out. In vain, unfortunately. The Splice were also a race of humanoids that were created by the Gods for the sole purpose of eradicating the Immortals. Fortunately Splicers weren't given sensitivity to magic, instead what they lacked in magic made up in ingenuity. They became so intelligent they had started a war with the Gods, utilizing a successful silent coup.

"The God's were angry about the fall of their power and so blamed the Immortals, blame well placed, and went on a genocide which they led themselves, but failed. Instead their final insult was branding all Immortals a curse that way they would be forever known to the world. A brand you obtained yesterday." Seraph held out his arm, palms up, to Harry. It took a while for a burning white insignia to appear on Seraph's creamy pale skin. The literally burning brand was a winged cross that had several symbols covering it. Translucent white flames dancing on the edge of the tattoo like brand.

"The coat of arms of the Gods. There was another curse was by the Splicers before we exterminated them. Their curse was more genetic than magic. To see truth in everything," he pointed to his eyes. "Then the Vitaens had put a curse as well, to always speak the truth. Father, mother, Leon, Etoile, you, and I are bond to tell the truth. However, it's more of a hindrance than an actual curse. We don't have to actually answer questions and even then we have different ways of expressing truths. For example: a person can ask my name but my truth says it's James Shepherd, when in fact it's Seraph. As long as it is your truth you will not be subjugated to the pains of expressing yourself with ill contempt. But I'm sure it'll help you change into a better liar, so to speak. I think I should stop, I was pretty sure Lucifer wanted to explain this to you."

Harry wanted to test the lying bit out. "I have to tell the truth, even when I don't want to?"

Seraph nodded.

"Ask me a question." He challenged.

Harry obliged.

"How old is Lucifer?"

"He is currently seventy-three."

Harry gawked. Harry had never known how old Lucifer was because it never came up (training and all), Lucifer looked much younger not even looking he passed his prime.

"So we're all Immortals?" he asked.

Seraph looked reluctant but answered nevertheless, "Yes and no, we're descendants of the House of Umbra. A house of powerful Immortals who didn't much care for reproducing with other Immortals. Not that other Immortals were particularly interested in that topic like today's wizards. As long as you're accepted as a member of this family you're a Shadow. Which in turn means we're mixed bloods, whether or not we have immortality has not been determined, it could be speculated that we have longevity but immortality? I'm not sure. Though for certain you and I will live a long life. Father may have more information."

Well if he fudged taking out Voldemort after the destruction of his Horcruxes then at least all he had to do was wait it out for him to die of natural causes Harry thought.

Seraph must have sensed Harry's revelation because he quickly dismissed that claim.

"Harry you won't fail in your mission against Voldemort. Your magic is unbelievably stronger than his. It's Plagus you have to worry about."

"True but at least I know I can outlast Voldemort," he smiled.

"If Plagus gets what he wants I don't think any of us will outlast the death of Jinxy."

Harry gave a confused look, "Who's Jinxy?"

"Etoile's lynx."

Harry eyed Seraph briefly a funny feeling wanted him to ask a question but resisted. "Ah, moreover how are "we" going to help Nova exactly? I know what I'm doing but Lucifer... er, father was a bit lax on your own involvement."

"If he didn't explain it then I don't think I should." Seraph said simply.

Harry tried even harder with his questions.

"Do you know who Plagus is?" he tried hopefully.

Raising an eyebrow Seraph answered, "You know I'd tell if I knew, I'm also sure if any of us knew we'd tell you. So no I don't know who it is, Plagus is an enigma at best."

He didn't want to make it sound like he didn't trust them just that he was curious if the lying bit was true or not, then again he didn't really understand how he was testing him by asking the question.

"Sorry, didn't mean to insinuate anything negative."

"It's not a problem Harry, I can understand how being part of a new family you barely know can be daunting. However, I think you have got to liven up. It seems all our conversations were taken from some type of play that involves horses and being naked with it,"chuckled Seraph.

"Give me a few weeks I'll work on it. And, a question, what kind of play is that?" Harry asked in revulsion.

"Hogwarts has had years of having numerous plays played in the great hall that included having a boy ride with a horse..."

When Seraph saw Harry's eyes bulge he quickly retracted and said, "You know what, nevermind." Which gained a sigh of relief from Harry.

"Come, let's go meet your new brother."

Harry followed Seraph to the foyer where a Lady and boy entered the door, they dropped several bags on the floor.

"We're home!" The boy called out. He was handsome, more so. From his black mane to his piercing eyes the boy was the equivalent to a male Veela, a Veela that even Veela would fall for, Harry was sure that if any woman was to look upon him the butterflies they would gain would tear them from the inside like some grotesque parasite and would make any man reach the point of becoming bloodthirsty from envy.

The boy he guessed to be Leon looked up with bright hazel eyes, large white canines prominent in his smile. _A vampire?_ He thought. He ran up to Harry and hugged him.

"You must be Harry!" he said when he released him. "I've been away with mother on business so we weren't present for your coming but I'm sure we'll be the best of brothers. Unlike Lucifer here." He sneered the last part playfully.

"Right, you might want to watch out Harry if you let Leon snare you in his manipulations you'll never be able to get rid of him. He may seem harmless but all Leon is is a womanizing git that doesn't know how to die." Seraph warned.

"He's just mad that I know how to play up a woman's heart and I turned him down when he asked me to help him. Such fragile little things I says to him, 'it's hard enough that I know what they want to want they'd be in a worse situation if you did,' I told him."

This made Seraph blush slightly before Leon could continue with his confusing rant Seraph interrupted him, "Bah! Hiss, hiss, leave this place!" Harry was amused by the display of brotherly affection even though the affection soon turned into a pushing contest.

"Now boys what have I told you about teasing one another? This is a house not a zoo," a stern but tired voice scolded. The woman walked up, she was gorgeous, not surprising but what was was the next piece of amusement.

"Harry, this is mother." He indignantly stated quickly when Leon threw a grocery bag at him.

"No need to introduce us Seraph, I can do it myself. Hello Harry, my name is Is'sabell Nivose Shadow (Pronounced: Iss, as in kiss, Saa-bell/ Nee Vaase, as in classical British pronouncement of Vase) Seraph can be too polite sometimes. Often he'd forget that I have a voice of my own," smiled Is'sabell.

Seraph grumbled and went to put away the groceries with Leon.

"Hopefully my Dear of a Husband has treated you accordingly?" She asked absentmindedly.

"More than I wish. Excuse me but I hardly doubt you're anywhere near fifty." Still aghast by her beauty.

"I would say the same to you, but I'm sure we all know you're not really fourteen," said Is'sabell. She carried two large bags with ease to the kitchen. "Hopefully your hungry." She gave a hopeful smile. Harry felt positive energy bouncing off her like crazy. It was the type of charismatic aura that Molly Weasley had, except this time it was magnified a thousand fold.

This energy had Harry smiling dumbly. He nodded in a giddy and almost dumb fashion. When she turned away her charm had left along with her. He then noted how excruciatingly hungry he was then he thought back to his last meal. Including his time at limbo, he hasn't eaten in thirty years, one month and twenty days exactly. His stomach growled angrily at him.

His new mother must have heard the growl, "Hmm... I know exactly what to make for that." She then went on preparing the meal with lightning speed. Not once using magic. She looked back at Harry and politely told him that dinner was a surprise and that she hates spoilers. This effectively threw him out of the kitchen which had him pulled by Leon.

"Might want to prepare yourself, we eat more than the average sausage eating champion of the world." Harry raised an eyebrow.

Leon looked apprehensive then realised what he said. "Ha! Didn't think that one through."

Harry didn't know whether he was joking or actually being serious until he heard Is'sabell yell "Breakfast!"

A feast had appeared on the grand dinning table. Harry's mother had made enough food to feed the Burrow's inhabitants twice and all in less than two hours which he thought impossible.

"Small breakfast today?" Lucifer came up behind Is'sabell. He quickly kissed her and sat down in a chair.

"Small?" Harry questions.

"By our standards, yes. Our metabolism is exceptionally difficult to control. We burn fats a lot faster than the average person. So to compensate we eat a lot more." Seraph answered.

Lucifer and Etoile already started eating. They were using proper eating etiquette but were fast and cut large portions of food. Harry followed suit, then Seraph followed by Leon and Is'sabell. He finally understood the need for the large amount of food. Harry ate at least a dozen Egg in the Baskets and his hunger was still painful.

Lucifer had summoned an aluminium bottle and handed it to Harry. He leaned back on his chair as he explained what it was, "It's tea, drink at least a cup every day, it'll help with purging your taint. It should keep you from experiencing any of the symptoms, if you do increase the dosage by a quarter of a cup. Anymore than what you're used to and you'd might as well be drinking acid understand?"

Harry nodded and immediately uncorked the bottle and gulped down a cup of the liquid. The pain in his stomach ceased a little and the tea had him cough. The tea was strong and minty, it opened his nasal passages and each intake of air hurt his nose.

Lucifer laughed, "Wow! Didn't know you'd do that! I should have warned you that it's affect is equal to that of wasabi!" This earned him a smack behind the head from Is'sabell.

After the hearty breakfast Harry no longer hungered instead he quickly tried to plan how to get back at Lucifer.

"Have you heard about the Quidditch World Cup?" Lucifer said after he stopped laughing.

Nasal still hurting he shook his head.

"Bagman got hit with an Expulso during the Death Eater raid. Explosion took his finger. Nova also got stunned during after the chaos. And there might be some problems with the tournament."

"What kind of problems?" snot had run down his nose which made Etoile choke on her own tea.

Smiling brightly at his misfortune Lucifer said, "I intend to find out."

When he heard that 'his-self' got stunned made him angry for some unknown reason, all he really wanted to do then was to get the bastard Death Eaters but thought better of it.

What is this feeling he thought to himself. He didn't have a theory but that made it even more disconcerting. He decided to not think about it.

"Well isn't that just bloody brilliant?"

* * *

The next few days passed quickly, Lucifer and Seraph had maintained the promise of _Other World_ Lucifer and continued his training. However the training was more review than anything, also sparse advise was given on how to act like a teen which didn't last long until Lucifer just told Harry to "be yourself."

"If being myself means driving attention to Dumbledore and leading to a punch in the face by my _Other World_ self then I'd rather not do this at all."

Seraph and Etoile sighed.

Etoile spoke up for the first time, since coming to see the training she just sat at a corner, to the nervous wreck of a fifty year old, "I'm sure you'll do grand, if you wanted to you can woo any girl by merely standing in pose."

Harry hung his head in defeat not knowing how to reply to that. He didn't know why he was nervous, he shouldn't be, he created the greatest unknown scheme in the world a scheme worthy of Dumbledore, Slytherins, and Lucifer himself. Okay, maybe not Lucifer but only because he helped with the finer details Harry thought, but it was still a pretty sick plan.

"Come on, day after tomorrow is September the first. Briefly, first phrase of Operation Excessive Hogwarts," said Lucifer.

"Meet Nova Evanescence Potter. Make sure she acknowledges me, much less get her to know me. Which would probably not work because of the Triwizard tournament." Harry paced back and forth trying to picture himself meeting, well, "herself."

"Second phase?" asked Seraph.

"Protect her from anybody and most likely everybody. Try to stay out in the shadow as much as possible. Make sure she gets in the tournament that way Voldemort continues with his plan.

"Third?" Etoile asked.

"I will send letters that will tell her how to win the Tasks. And if anything changes I'll just message her just the same. After the Tasks I'll replace that damned trophy and apparate to the graveyard and take care of Peter and capture Voldemort."

"And lastly?" They said in unison.

"Find and destroy the Horcruxes. And then I'll be gone of Voldemort. By the way have you figured out if I'm a Horcrux or not?"

Lucifer with his facial complexions simply stated, "Yes, and it seems Nova again is the Horcrux and not you."

This disheartened Harry considerably. How would he get rid of the Horcrux without killing her? The only reason he lived Voldemort's killing curse last time was because he accepted death and his love had saved his life. Even then he had chosen quite reluctantly to go back and that was with Dumbledore's help. Nova in the other hand would not get such a prepared chance of living, at least without gaining a certain taint that he'd rather she not gain.

"We'll find a way, Harry. Father will make sure." Etoile assured him. But even then she gave a sad look.

Harry shrugged, he didn't want to show that he was concerned, he could do that whenever, right now he was more concerned about a certain witch.

He spent the majority of that night dreaming about that certain witch. She was clouded in shadow and running towards him. But the distance was increasing. He ran towards her as well, the distance increasing.

He needed to protect her, needed to make sure she was alright and safe. He felt her pain, her despair, and her sorrow. Harry decided to clear her grievances, to make sure she laughed, embrace her, but the distance kept him from doing so.

_The distance between you shall lessen_

_When the lives between you becomes one._

_Born as the seventh month dies_

_The choice of death of a shadow_

_Will appear as the seventh month dies._

* * *

**A/N** Hey this is a good cliffy ain't it? This was going to be much more longer than it is right now which included having the Shadows at the World Match. However, I thought it would've been prudent and redundant to do so since I made a draft and read it through only to find it would make better sense to not go. Please review accordingly or I might start thinking you guys just don't like my writing. I mean if you took the time to go on my profile and favorite me what's so hard about writing a review saying Good job? or this part of the story doesn't make sense to me can you help me? or maybe even, help I've fallen and I can't get up! Constructive criticism helps me write a better story because in all honesty I know for a fact I could have spent a few more hours on this and added better dialogue or something. But anyways I cannot wait to get to the next Chapter because I'm changing the point of view. Which I'll do quite a bit from this point on. I also wanted to make this 10,000 words but I found out that it'd be strenuous for eyes to read that much so hence the absence of the World Cup. So yeah, oh Bronies should come out of the closet and review your pride... or shame... on my review page! I need cookies and cookies helps mah tummy and mah tummy needs help! Soo give me cookies, mah cookies come in packages called reviews ={

Jaa nee!


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